


Black Turtle

by jju_nyaa



Category: NU'EST
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Crack, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Some puns, Stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24612589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jju_nyaa/pseuds/jju_nyaa
Summary: Rising star Kim Jonghyun comes to an unexpected inheritance albeit with a caveat — he has to first beef up his spectacular acting resume with a college degree.written for NU'EST JR's 26th birthday
Relationships: Choi Minki | Ren & Kim Jonghyun | JR, Choi Minki | Ren/Kim Jonghyun | JR, Hwang Minhyun & Kim Jonghyun | JR, Hwang Minhyun/Kim Jonghyun | JR, Kang Dongho | Baekho & Kim Jonghyun | JR, Kang Dongho | Baekho/Kim Jonghyun | JR, Kim Jonghyun | JR & Aaron Kwak | Aron, Kim Jonghyun | JR & Nu'est Ensemble, Kim Jonghyun | JR/Aaron Kwak | Aron
Comments: 38
Kudos: 61





	1. The Dipper Mansion

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration did strike and so: Happy 26th JR Day! 🎂🎉 Love you lots! ~m

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonghyun had no wish for his life to change. It’s just that his life decided to change all on its own.

**— » — « —**

Kim Jonghyun, one of the rising stars of his generation, was undoubtedly popular and well-loved. He rose to national fame with such a pristine reputation that most, if not all, of his colleagues in the industry often spoke fondly of him. Jonghyun shone in whatever acting role he was given and every behind-the-scenes account had glowing remarks about his work ethic and unparalleled artistry.

Jonghyun was content. He was grateful for the opportunities he had been given and all of the adoration he had received throughout his career. Often, in interviews, he was asked how he sees himself five or ten years in the future. Jonghyun always answered what he thought and genuinely believed—working hard, doing his utmost, and never losing passion for his craft.

It always got everyone teary-eyed. Every. Single. Time.

Thus, he had no wish for his life to change. He had his work, his friends, his hobbies. It’s just that his life decided to change all on its own—or at least in accordance to what was supposedly written in the stars.

**— » — « —**

Jonghyun had just come back from his latest magazine photoshoot when a celestial car pulled up in front of his home. His tiny house—complete with a tiny garden and a tiny pond—was a little ways away from the center of Seoul, a quiet and peaceful residential area where inhabitants never really cared all that much whether a celebrity lived among them or not. A Rolls Royce Celestial Phantom, however, screamed “celebrity” with every turn of its wheel—at least to anyone who could recognize its significance.

“Young Master Jonghyun,” a man in a crisp black suit greeted when Jonghyun opened the door. “You have been summoned to the Dipper Mansion for an important council.”

“Me?” Jonghyun asked, still somewhat flustered at the appearance of their clan’s trademark vehicle.

“Yes, sir, you.” The chauffeur added a twinkle in his smile for good measure.

Jonghyun, in all his light years of being a literal star, had never imagined he would be summoned back to the celestial skies and right up to his clan’s Lunar Mansion. As much as he was somewhat of a huge celebrity on earth, he never had any business with the higher ups of the clan he was born into. What did they want now?

“Very well,” he sighed, nodding as he went on convincing himself that it’s not at all weird. “I suppose I should get ready.”

“Take your time, young master,” the chauffeur replied, “though there’s not that much of it.”

“Do I have to bring anything?”

“Just your lustrous self, sir.”

“Right.”

**— » — « —**

It was Jonghyun’s first time setting foot in the Dipper Mansion. He was not born in the ruling house and most of the River Turtle families would opt for their younger children to descend from the heavens as soon as they could. Jonghyun had lived on earth ever since he could remember, though he had maintained contact with his closest star kin from time to time.

When the Celestial Phantom ascended, Jonghyun’s mortal clothes were replaced by raiments of night and starlight. His eyes, known on earth to have a natural sparkle in them, now carried their full radiance—there was no need to tone them down the way every star would when they’re among humans.

As the celestial vehicle pulled up in front of the lunar mansion, Jonghyun alighted the car. He was greeted and welcomed by an array of stellar remnants who bore the crest of the House of Dipper. He wondered at this reception but said nothing—he felt that, in time, he would be getting all the answers to his questions.

A valet led him to the inner chambers of the mansion, further and further until the last pair of doors swung open to reveal the Divine Lord’s chambers—and the Divine Lord himself, Hyunmoo, the Black Tortoise of the North.

For a moment, Jonghyun was struck dumb. But he was quick to recover and to get down on his knees and bow deeply. “My Lord,” was all he could say. What in the heavens was he doing before the Lord of the Celestial Realm?

“Ah, my heir,” Hyunmoo mused. “Do get up and take a seat before me, I would like to see your face again.”

 _Heir?_ Jonghyun stood carefully, waiting up to the last nanosecond before lifting his eyes to meet Hyunmoo’s piercing gaze. He thought he wouldn’t be able to handle looking directly into the eyes of the Divine Lord, whose existence Jonghyun had only heard from legends until now. But Hyunmoo’s starry orbs were warm and knowing, and Jonghyun felt that he could speak his mind before this great star of universal renown. His eyes must have reflected his thoughts too openly because Hyunmoo chuckled and answered him.

“Yes, my heir,” the Divine Lord confirmed. “You need not be so starstruck, Jonghyun, I’m not _that_ great. Rather, since you are my heir, you can assume that you’ll soon be as great as I am. Do sit down.”

“My Lord,” Jonghyun began as soon as he and Hyunmoo were sitting across each other—the lord on his throne and Jonghyun on a seat before him. “I’m not sure I understand why I am your heir.”

Hyunmoo blinked. “Well, I’m not sure I could explain it in any other way than you being the one next in line.”

“Right.”

“You’re an actor, aren’t you?” Hyunmoo asked.

Jonghyun nodded.

“A famous one.”

“Well—”

“A rising _star_.”

“It’s just—”

“Do you want the throne or not?”

Jonghyun was at a loss. Why would he even _want_ the celestial throne?

“Believe it or not, Kim Jonghyun, you are one of the brightest stars on earth right now,” Hyunmoo said. “You’re more than worthy and capable of inheriting the throne—my throne—which is not just lordship in itself but also, more than anything, guardianship of the northern skies and the whole of the heavens. Do you know the other name that they call me by?”

“Black Warrior,” Jonghyun answered without missing a beat.

“Indeed. I am a warrior, a guardian, a protector.” Hyunmoo then chuckled. “Of course, I do like lording it over the other stars from time to time, but it’s not as glamorous as it sounds, believe me. Half the time you just do a lot of twinkling and go through endless paperwork… oh, and I do mansion tours. That’s twenty-eight in a year, seven each quarter. All-expense paid, of course.”

“And you tour the mansions for what, exactly?”

“Like I said—guarding, protecting… those things.”

“…twinkling and paperwork?”

“Indeed. Quite frankly, you really just have to _shine_. And you do that well enough already. What do you think?”

Jonghyun sighed. “Do I have a choice in any of this?”

“Well, not really. Unless you give up your inheritance.”

The young star raised a knowing eyebrow. “All the others before me have abdicated, haven’t they?”

Hyunmoo regarded Jonghyun with a shrewd look. “You’re smart. I like that.”

Jonghyun could only chuckle along weakly as the Black Tortoise’s booming laughter filled the chamber.

“You’re right, no one wants the job,” Hyunmoo finally admitted with a sigh. “Rather, no one wants to accept the responsibility of ruling the constellations. Everyone wants to be a star, Jonghyun, but none of them wants to be the one who puts order in the universe.” The Divine Lord smiled in melancholy. Perhaps Jonghyun was still too young to ask for any of this.

“I’ll do it,” Jonghyun said after much thought. His eyes shone brighter with understanding and his smile amplified his radiance all the more.

Perhaps Hyunmoo caught a glimpse of the future where Jonghyun sat on the celestial throne—with the dazzling luminescence of a full-grown star.

“I won’t be doing it soon, though, will I, my Lord?” the young star then asked, adorably hesitating. “You will… well, you _will_ be teaching me the ropes, right?”

“Precisely,” Hyunmoo answered in amusement. “I’ve still got lots of light years ahead of me, boy, and I will surely use much of them in raising you up.”

“And my career…?”

“By all means, continue your flourishing career,” the celestial lord encouraged. “It would be a complete waste to give it up—for stars like us, there’s just so much to learn from a life of stardom on earth. Trust me, I know.”

Jonghyun chuckled. “Short and sweet life lessons.”

“Which we will be augmenting with a more _formal_ educational method,” Hyungmoo continued. “You haven’t gone to university, have you?”

“I—well, no.”

“Perfect! We’ll have it arranged as soon as possible,” Hyunmoo clapped his hands and stellar remnants appeared. “Prepare the young master’s entourage and enrollment forms,” he ordered.

“I have an entourage?” Jonghyun repeated incredulously.

“Ah, yes, of course. You normally refer to them as ‘staff’ back on earth, right…”

“My staff is aware of what I am?” Jonghyun choked.

“No, they’re human, but stellar remnants live in them,” the lord explained. “In the event that you get into a bind or your life is threatened, they’ll awaken and bring you to safety.”

“Oh.”

“Have no fear, dear boy, you are quite safe at Nocturne.”

“Nocturne? You mean, Nocturne University?” Jonghyun felt his mouth go rather dry.

“…for the Exceptionally Supernatural Talent, yes.”

“…rather with an exceptionally high mortality rate…”

“Oh, pish-posh, you’re a star,” Hyunmoo scoffed. “They won’t be able to do anything to you over there once you’ve dazzled them enough. Now, here,” and Jonghyun was handed a scroll of ancient looking text. “Sign the inheritance form so you’ll be my legal celestial heir… and then this enrollment form… and we’re done!”

Feeling like he had signed away all of his remaining light years, Jonghyun smiled painfully at his satisfied predecessor. But there seemed to be much truth in Hyunmoo’s assurance. The Black Warrior was a well-known Nocturne alumni, after all. 

Perhap it truly was written that Jonghyun could be the next one.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- the Hyunmoo in this chapter isn't Jun Hyunmoo XD It's Hyeonmu, the Korean name for Black Tortoise/Genbu  
> EDIT (6/18): but omg it seems most readers ended up imagining him anyway im cri 😭😂🤣
> 
> \- yes, another 2hyun fic starter without the other hyun but I promise Minhyun will soon make an appearance XD
> 
> \- thank you, J-chan, for the post publication beta! 💕


	2. The Zodiac Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was probably only ten minutes since Jonghyun met his alleged roommate but already, the latter was taking up a good percentage of the former’s personal space.

**— » — « —**

Weeks passed and Jonghyun kept his concerns (at least to himself) about attending Nocturne University for the Exceptionally Supernatural Talent.

Sure, it was a university for all kinds of supernatural creatures, and “non-discriminatory” was part of its motto. At the same time, nearly every creature attending was either dangerous or in danger of being killed—and yet, not a single supernatural soul around him seemed to care. 

Rumours of the school’s high mortality rate remained what they seem to be—just rumours and nothing more. Perhaps there wasn’t really anything to be worried about. Perhaps Nocturne, its students and staff alike, simply enjoyed its notoriety, regardless of factual accuracy. 

At least that’s what Jonghyun thought before he finally got to see the place for himself.

**— » — « —**

On the day he moved into the university dormitories, Jonghyun went alone—to go with an entourage of stellar remnants would’ve been too embarrassing.

People were already aware that a popular actor had just enrolled in Nocturne. Jonghyun didn’t want them to know (if at all possible) that said actor was a literal star _and_ the heir to the celestial throne, too. For one, pun-loving assholes would probably have a field day.

There wasn’t much to be done with most of his luggage, though—his staff got to them first and sent them ahead. He just hoped they had been conspicuous enough to not be noticed. But Jonghyun being driven there in the Rolls Royce kind of defeated the purpose anyway.

At the very least, he asked that he could step out of the Celestial Phantom a block away from the dormitory complex and just walk the rest of the way. It didn’t take too long to find his room on the top floor of one of the buildings, even considering he had to climb several flights of steps to get there.

Room 608.

Jonghyun opened the door, stepped inside, and stopped dead on his tracks upon seeing a young woman in the room. She was in a maid uniform poring over a shelf, a feather duster in hand. He then blinked, stepped back, and closed the door.

What on earth?

Jonghyun was about to leave when he heard footsteps, then the door opened again.

“Hey,” the young woman huffed a bit, apparently having hurried after him. “Are you my roommate?”

“Uh, I must have mixed up the male and female quarters? Sorry,” Jonghyun said, taking a step away.

“This is the men’s quarters,” the maid gestured with the feather duster before realizing why Jonghyun was anxious to leave. “Oh! Sorry, my bad—occupational hazard, you see, uh, let me just—”

She then closed her eyes and scrunched her face. Jonghyun caught a glimpse of pointed ears, whiskers, and a black button nose before the pretty young woman transformed into a pretty young man—wearing normal clothes this time, thankfully.

“Better, isn’t it?” His eyes formed pretty crescent moons when he smiled at Jonghyun. He held out a hand.

“Hi, I’m Hwang Minhyun. What’s your name?”

**— » — « —**

“So, is our star already here?” a young man wearing the university letterman jacket asked excitedly as soon as he stepped into Room 608.

Spotting both Jonghyun and the young-woman-turned-young-man called Hwang Minhyun, he grinned. “’Sup, kids? Which one of you is Kim Jonghyun?”

Jonghyun raised his hand with a reluctant smile. “Hello… uh, sunbaenim?”

“Yeah, ’sup, bro, I’m Aaron. You can call me ‘hyung’ if you like,” he said. “I’ll be your buddy for the dorm tour and—hold on, you’re _that_ Kim Jonghyun? The one in that really popular rom-com drama and the latest blockbuster live action movie… _that_ kind of star? And no one told me?”

As Jonghyun wondered why Aaron needed to be informed of his acting history, he gave his sunbae and Minhyun a practiced polite smile. They were looking at him with the usual mixture of curiosity, awe, and unspoken expectations from a local celebrity. “Yeah… I’ve been given really good opportunities this year…?” he offered, unsure why he was being so shy all of a sudden.

Aaron and Minhyun chuckled.

“Oh, no, you’re so cute,” Minhyun gushed. “Are you really a star? I mean, apart from being famous, you’re also from ‘ _up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky_ ’, right?”

“Don’t tease him, source tells me he’s practically royalty,” Aaron said with a snigger.

“Really?”

Jonghyun blushed and sputtered. “Please, I’m not.”

“Please,” Aaron echoed. “Source is Lord Hyunmoo; you can’t dispute that.”

“Ugh, I asked him not to—”

Aaron laughed. “It’s okay, I’m the only one who was told what kind of celestial star you are, apart from the faculty. To everyone else, you’re either the TV star-star or a nobody, depending on how much media they consume.”

“Well, to me, he’s my star roommate,” Minhyun interjected.

Jonghyun mentally noted that it was probably only ten minutes since he had met his alleged roommate but, already, Minhyun was taking up a good percentage of his personal space. Sitting together on Jonghyun’s bed, with one arm over his shoulder? To the star, it would be about seventy-five percent of his personal space right there.

“Right, you’re the roommate,” Aaron acknowledged. “What’s your name then?”

“Hwang Minhyun, at your service.”

“And you are?”

Minhyun paused. “I’m… at your service? I’m an expert at cleaning and tidying things up. You can ask me any time whenever I have free time.”

Aaron levelled Minhyun a look before drawing close, sniffing the air around him at least twice. “Hm, alright then, Mr. Supernatural Janitor. I’ll be keeping an eye on you but it’s best that you keep up if you’re going to be Jonghyunnie’s roomie.”

“Excuse me, hi, yes, I have a question,” Jonghyun finally managed to insert himself back into the conversation. “Aaron-hyung, right?”

“Right… Is that the question?”

“No,” Jonghyun answered flatly. “I just want to know what you know exactly and how come you’ve spoken with Lord Hyunmoo…?”

“Oh, that kind of question?” Aaron clapped his hands together and looked around the room. He pulled a chair from the nearest study desk and sat down in front of the roommates, but not without looking askance at the way Minhyun just casually leaned on Jonghyun’s shoulder.

“For starters, I’m going to introduce myself properly,” Aaron began, and adding in an undertone, “unlike someone else here.”

Minhyun only gave him a demure smile, to which Aaron rolled his eyes.

“Anyway… I’m Kwak Aaron from the clan of the Zodiac Dog. You know, descendants of the ones from The Great Race ages ago. Right now, we’re one of the twelve clans that directly influence time on Earth. Don’t ask me specifics; it’s strictly confidential and all that. But if you ask me what exactly I myself do… well,” Aaron paused and winked. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.”

Minhyun smiled. “Do you sit, roll over, and play dead, Aaron-hyung?”

Aaron pointed at Minhyun in agreement. “Yes, very good, Super Janitor. And I’m the best and smartest Dog—I’m not even exaggerating. That’s why Lord Hyunmoo himself asked me to at least keep an eye on you, the future Black Warrior, Guardian of the North, and Lord of the Heavens, and show you around. But since you’re extra cute, I’ll take the honor of being your best sunbae of all time, how’s that?”

“Ugh, what a sellout,” Minhyun scoffed. “Don’t believe him, Jonghyun-ah, he probably only wants tickets to your next movie. That, or a clan promotion.”

Completely unfazed by the accusation, Aaron merely wagged a finger at Minhyun. “Say no more of things you have absolutely zero knowledge about, Little Hwang. And for the record, Jonghyun-ah, I’m the furthest in the line of successors; nothing I do for the clan would make me a candidate for the heirdom. I’m just doing this because I can and because I’m brilliant.”

“Hyung, weeks ago I was far from being an heir, too, and just did what I could,” Jonghyun spoke, finding himself thinking deeply about what Aaron had said. “I say this a lot about my career but I realize it applies to my new role, too: I only think I’ve gotten to where I am right now because I worked hard on what I love best and made good use of opportunities that came my way.”

“I still believe in doing the things you love with sincere feelings, hyung, and never lose hope for your dreams. I’m sure things will work out for you for the better in the future.”

For a moment, Aaron looked starstruck. He then blinked and gulped, shaking his head. “I forgot that you say a lot of stuff in interviews that always gets everyone teary-eyed. Every. Single. Time. I had no idea you’re actually this pure in person, too.”

Minhyun, bright-eyed, red-nosed, and completely sympathetic, held out an apologetic and reconciliatory tissue box towards their currently emotional sunbae.

Jonghyun reddened. “Seriously, guys…”

“No, no,” Aaron sniffled, accepting Minhyun’s tissue gratefully. “I can tell you meant it from the bottom of your radiant heart. Thank you, Jonghyun-ah. I said I’ll be your best sunbae but you just went right ahead and proved yourself the best hoobae, didn’t you?”

“You’re the best roommate, Jonghyun-ah,” Minhyun added, going right ahead and giving Jonghyun a full hug.

“Hey, Best Cleaner, no excessive touching of the rising star on the first day,” Aaron stood up and tried prying Minhyun off of a flustered Jonghyun. “Come on, kids, we have a dorm tour scheduled and we’re running late.”

**— » — « —**

It was only after dinner that Jonghyun could finally relax. The dorm tour was fun but tiring; there were just too many stairs to deal with in the dorm complex alone.

Despite being in an era of technology, Nocturne apparently didn’t think of installing elevators. Aaron said that it made sense given how supernatural creatures with all sorts of powers and abilities populate the place. A lot of them would probably just end up blasting elevators on a daily basis anyway.

Jonghyun stretched himself on his bed with a groan. On the bed across his, Minhyun sat down and laughed.

“It’s only the first day, Jonghyun-ah,” he said. “And don’t go to bed without brushing your teeth.”

“I’m just resting my… rickety old bones for a bit,” Jonghyun groaned again, shuffling off his shoes and stretching his limbs till some of his joints cracked. He turned to his roommate, the epitome of relaxation. “Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m beat. Aaron-hyung looked like a lazy old man but his energy was hard to keep up with,” Minhyun admitted. “Do you like him?”

“He’s nice and fun,” Jonghyun mused. “He’s probably an old man deep down inside but he’s descended from the Zodiac Dog so…loads of energy.” Aaron had loads of friends, too, and Jonghyun marvelled at how popular and personable and cool their sunbae was.

“Do you think I’m nice and fun?” Minhyun then asked.

Jonghyun pretended to think before answering, “For a thousand-year-old celestial fox, I think you are.” He chuckled, his eyes shining with mischief. “You’ve kept me too much on my toes today, Hwang Minhyun-ssi. I had a hard time keeping up at first.”

Minhyun gasped. “You know what I am? How?”

“Hm, your scent, I guess,” Jonghyun answered with amusement all over his face. “We have the same one, to a certain degree. I recognized night and starlight on you so I thought perhaps you’re serving in the Palace of the Moon, at least. That and your shapeshifting ability made me think you could be a gumiho. I’m sure Aaron-hyung smelled the fox in you, earlier, too.”

Minhyun’s dumbfounded face elicited another laugh from Jonghyun.

“I just don’t understand why you were a maid when I first came in,” the star admitted. His eyes then widened with realization. “‘Occupational hazard’… you couldn’t have worked as a maid in a human household, could you?”

“What on earth—stop figuring out my secrets all too easily!” The fox tried to maintain his cool and failed miserably, looking more ruffled by the minute.

“What, you mean I got it right?” Jonghyun laughed in shock.

Miffed, Minhyun crawled under the bed covers and turned his back on Jonghyun. “Good night, Kim Jonghyun-ssi.”

“Hwang Minhyun-ssi, don’t be like that,” Jonghyun implored in between chuckles. “We’re celestial beings, surely we can stay up and talk and share secrets all night.”

In the end, Minhyun gave in, but only after Jonghyun kept his word about brushing his teeth.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- thank you, J-chan, for the post-publication beta! 💕 (nope this isn't turning into a habit, nopppppe)


	3. The White Tiger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Except for his early morning class, Jonghyun didnʼt really look forward to any of his subjects — even going so far as to almost dread the last class of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a much needed fic break (reading and writing) I return with this humble birthday offering: an update on Jonghyun's birthday fic, hehehe.

**— » — « —**

Jonghyun did share secrets with Minhyun that night, and many nights after. Rather, Minhyun did most of the talking while Jonghyun listened avidly, eyes sparkling with interest at whatever the gumiho opted to tell about himself.

Apart from their awkward first meeting, the roommates pretty much hit it off well. Jonghyun had never met a gumiho before and, despite his species’ bad reputation in folk stories, Minhyun was… good. He was kind, agreeable, and not at all inclined to trick or steal from anyone, whether it be fortune or life force.

Jonghyun’s lucky guess as to why Minhyun was a maid when they first met was indeed what it was. Minhyun had two great talents: shapeshifting and cleaning — and in the last few years before attending Nocturne, he was doing honest work as a maid in a chaebol household.

Suffice to say that one of the perks of being roommates with Minhyun was that he kept everything tidy for them both. Jonghyun found himself getting really used to living in the university dormitories because of him.

**— » — « —**

Jonghyun didn’t look forward to classes that much though.

He liked Astronomy well enough — but only because it was the one subject he and Minhyun had in common. They’d formed a little morning routine because of it: Minhyun waking him up in the mornings, prodding him to get up and get ready for breakfast, then walking together to the Astronomy department building for class. 

“You know what’s Astronomy like, I realized?” Jonghyun asked one morning as he and Minhyun shuffled off towards their first subject.

“What’s it like?” Minhyun asked back, sidling up to Jonghyun and linking arms with him. The early morning air was still slightly nippy and the gumiho found the star’s natural warmth very much like a cozy spot by the fireplace during winter.

“It’s like studying pedestrian traffic, of us, up there. All that movement of stars across the night sky — except we’re doing it in broad daylight.” He and Minhyun shared a chuckle at that.

“It’s a good thing non-celestials don’t have to take it, huh?” the fox said.

“If they did and they managed not to blind themselves, maybe it’d bore them, too?”

“Does it bore you?” Minhyun then asked.

“Not really,” Jonghyun answered slowly, the tips of his ears turning pink. “It’s fun when we do homework together in the evenings.”

Minhyun beamed. “It is. I’m glad I’m taking Astronomy with you.”

Jonghyun beamed back, taking care not to dazzle as he did so. “Me, too.”

And that was the extent of his eagerness for the academic aspect of things in Nocturne.

The rest of the classes in Jonghyun’s course were interesting enough for him to pay attention to but not necessarily get excited about. For Celestial Governance students, freshmen like Jonghyun had to first go through mandatory stuff like Celestial History I and II. If it weren’t for Kang Dongho having to take the exact same set of classes, Jonghyun would’ve probably been bored out of his mind.

“Jonghyun-ah, do you think you could look my Astral Economics paper over?” Dongho asked as they shuffled out of history class. “Had to write it in a rush from backstage last night.”

“Sure. How did your fanmeeting go?”

Kang Dongho was very much a star like Jonghyun. Debuting at sixteen as a soloist, Dongho rose to fame with his self-penned music and uniquely charming vocals. With a steady fanbase, he had room to become a quiet celebrity in the songwriting world, composing hit songs for top tier idol groups and, sometimes, veteran singers.

Celestial-wise, whereas Jonghyun will inherit Hyunmoo of the North, Dongho will inherit Baekho of the West. And unlike Jonghyun who wasn’t born into the main family, Dongho had been raised as the heir of his clan.

Considering the circumstances, Dongho could’ve put on airs and looked down on Jonghyun for becoming the Divine Lord’s heir by mere technicality. He was even Jonghyunʼs senior in Kumdo, having been assigned to mentor and train Jonghyun once the class got settled.

But Dongho was a warrior through and through — the task of teaching their future ruler how to wield a sword and become High Lord Protector was more important to him than stellar lineages.

Jonghyun himself wasn’t entirely a kumdo beginner and was at a level where he could already wear the armor and handle a sword proficiently enough. He had a drama role related to swordsmanship, after all.

Still, by the end of the day, Jonghyun staggered back into the dojang’s locker room, breathless and sweaty. It had been like this for a while now, and Jonghyun was starting to dread kumdo every time.

“Jonghyun-ah, are you sure you can keep up with the Lord Protector Training menu as it is?” Dongho asked out of concern, noting how incredibly fatigued his fellow star looked. After returning his armor, he sat next to Jonghyun on the bench.

“Of course, whatever do you mean, Dongho?” Jonghyun huffed, fumbling to undo his belt and loosen his practice jacket. 

“You look like you’re dying.”

“I might be dying but that doesn’t necessarily mean I can’t keep up,” Jonghyun answered, to which Dongho laughed out loud.

“Dying is unnecessary and I can adjust, you know,” Dongho said. “As your trainer, I get to call all the shots regarding the menu, but all the shots I call should also depend on whether you can handle them or not. The least you could do is be honest with me and not push yourself too hard.”

“Thank you, that’s… very kind of you,” Jonghyun breathed out, feeling a creeping sense of shame for having kept his issues to himself.

Grunting, he peeled the jacket off his otherwise bare torso, revealing the glorious tanned skin that he once flaunted in a magazine. It drove his fan base insane back then; they would lose their minds again if anyone took photos of him now. Jonghyun glistened with sweat — then again creatures like him and Dongho sparkled by default no matter what they did.

“You’re my future liege lord,” Dongho shrugged awkwardly before he started undressing as well, his skin just a shade lighter than the other star.

Jonghyun sighed. “Must you be so formal all the time?”

“I’m not being formal…?” Dongho answered hesitantly. “Ever since we started training together, we've been stripping in front of each other in this changing room the whole time — it’s kinda difficult to call this ‘being formal.’”

Jonghyun threw him a pointed look. “You know what I meant.”

“I’m not holding back, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’ve definitely been whacking you with the jukdo the way I’d whack anybody else, liege lord or not.”

“I’ve noticed,” Jonghyun said wryly, his tone then turning a tad imploring. “Let’s not just talk about hierarchy — at least until we’re back up there to assume our roles in the future, is what I’d like to ask.”

“Look, Jonghyun-ah,” Dongho then said. “You are many things to me — you’re my lord, classmate, Kumdo hoobae, and dorm neighbor — all at the same time. I just picked one to address you by.”

“And you picked ‘liege lord’ of all things,” Jonghyun pouted. “I would’ve gone for the ‘friends’ route to sum up our complicated… um, relationship. Can’t I be your friend, Dongho-yah?”

Dongho blinked. “Well… you’re right,” he said slowly, the realization sinking in. Then he laughed, albeit somewhat shyly. “Of course, why didn’t I think of that?”

Jonghyun’s smile was then so bright that even Dongho (himself having a bright and luminous countenance by default) felt like he was being full-on dazzled by his fellow star.

“You’re doing that star thing, stop it,” Dongho then cleared his throat and resumed changing into a pair of sweats and running shoes.

“It’s fine, isn’t it?” Jonghyun mused, himself changing into a similar attire. “We’re both stars — we could be what we truly are with each other, can’t we?”

Jonghyun was right. They were more similar to each other than Dongho thought at first. Stripped of their ranks in the celestial society they belonged to, Dongho and Jonghyun were, simply put, two of a kind.

They were stars in the night sky, mere two pinpoints of light among a multitude set against a vast dark canvas. And they were both living a life of stardom on earth, merely two of the brightest young celebrities in the industry. They were born to shine — both on earth and up in the heavens. Despite Jonghyun’s misgivings towards his acquired status, Dongho thought they were both born to rule and protect the heavens.

“We can,” Dongho agreed, eyes twinkling not unlike Jonghyun’s, though Dongho rarely showed that side of himself to others.

“Then… friends?” The other star still beamed as he held his hand out for a shake.

Dongho lightly slapped Jonghyun’s hand aside, opting instead to pull his fellow star into his arms. Normally not given to showcasing affection physically, Dongho wasn’t quite sure what came over him, other than a faint inkling of having been completely moved right through the core of his being.

Perhaps it was the realization that he’s met someone who was more than his equal, especially after having lived most of his light years with the responsibility of holding the western celestial seat someday. Here was someone with a bigger responsibility than Dongho would ever have — that while Dongho himself was set to protect his realm, he was part of the bigger realm that Jonghyun was to protect in turn.

Maybe it was the reason why Dongho was taken in immediately. The idea of having Jonghyun as his liege lord — he felt comforted to have finally met the sole person he would submit to in the future, the only one who would have greater authority than his.

And for this lord-in-the-making to humbly ask that they meet each other as equals for now — as friends, in fact — Dongho then understood the reports that claimed how being in Jonghyun’s presence always got people teary-eyed. Every. Single. Time.

“Friends.”

The tiny crack in Dongho’s voice gave an equally tiny pause to Jonghyun before he returned the embrace. “Thank you for being here with me, Dongho-yah,” he said quietly, his voice rich with gratitude for having someone just like him make the same journey at the same time in Nocturne.

The White Tiger heir then clapped Jonghyun’s back as he tried to be casual with his “No problem,” response. Jonghyun involuntarily coughed out the air in his lungs as he and Dongho broke apart.

“Come on, time to do some running out in the field,” Jonghyun’s starry friend then said, leading the way out of the dojang and setting off in a jog towards the running track nearby.

**— » — « —**

“So, are celestial foxes really your type or is it just Minhyunnie?”

Jonghyun was doing well jogging alongside Dongho until he tripped over his own feet after hearing the question. For a moment, he struggled to avoid planting his face against the synthetic-rubber-on-asphalt surface, only succeeding after so much ungraceful flailing.

“W-what?” he stammered. The knowledge that Minhyun was currently at the bleachers (waiting for him to finish his after-training cool-down run and routine) didn’t help his composure one bit.

Minhyun was in yet another discussion with Aaron, their sunbae often joining the fox in waiting for Jonghyun whenever he was free. Thankfully, it was one of those times and Minhyun’s attention wasn’t as focused on him. The star had reason to hope that his momentary inelegance had (possibly) gone unnoticed.

Dongho didn’t miss the way Jonghyun glanced up in the general direction of where Minhyun sat. He grinned at the other star, taking a break from jogging. He didn’t think Jonghyun would soon be picking his pace back up, considering the star’s brain seemed to have short circuited at the mention of his roommate.

“I’m guessing it’s Minhyunnie then,” he concluded with a teasing laugh. “Though for a while I thought he just fits your type, given how the last lead actress you were rumored to be dating looked a bit like him.”

Jonghyun choked. “That bit about Minkyungie was just a rumor,” he defended.

“Even though both your fans and hers were rooting for you two?” Dongho’s gummy smile made Jonghyun suspect that he was rooting for them, too.

“We’re just colleagues… who have great chemistry. And we’re good friends.”

“But you have a crush on her.”

“I don’t have a crush on her…?”

“Ah, because you have a crush on him?” Dongho nudged his head in the direction of the kumiho at the bleachers.

“I don’t— I— he’s my roommate,” Jonghyun sputtered. “We’ve just met and— shut up.”

“Your quick answers when it comes to Minkyung-ssi is giving away your crush on your roommate, my friend,” Dongho laughed. His mirth was cut short when he found himself tackled to the ground; Jonghyun had thrown him over his shoulder.

He didn’t appreciate being taken by surprise, nor did he like the triumphant smirk on Jonghyun’s face. An indignant Dongho leapt to his feet but Jonghyun had already bolted. For someone who came from the River Turtle House, Jonghyun was rather quick on land.

However, Dongho was from the White Tiger Legs clan and, of course, he was quicker. After a short chase along the race track, the supposed kumdo cool-down activity turned into an impromptu taekwondo match, much to the surprise and afterwards amusement of Minhyun and Aaron.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, J-chan for the beta! I feel accomplished that this is finally not-a-post-pub beta this time hahahaha!
> 
> I will be slowly working on finishing my WIPS including this one! :D
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this update!


	4. The Moon Rabbit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not only is Jonghyun becoming more fluent in eternal suffering, he is but also turning into some sort of student counselor.

**— » — « —**

As fellow celestials, Jonghyun and Minhyun found themselves looking forward to their first moon-viewing together. They had promised as early as their second month in Nocturne but Jonghyun’s jam-packed schedule had a knack for making him miss several full moons at the dorms.

It was a bit of a shame, really, given the ease with which they could do it. Top floor rooms had an especially nifty rooftop access — just open the windows and climb up from the veranda.

Nifty, the sunbaenims would call it but, in reality, it was a hassle well-disguised as privilege. The actual staircase to the rooftop was currently a one-way portal to Buddhist Hell. No one really bothered to fix it so that the demonic dorm occupants could save up on travel costs and avoid the heavy main portal traffic. Rather convenient whenever people had to return home for semester breaks and holidays — Chuseok, to name one. 

Thus, for a time, in the last week of the first month of the second semester, there were bursts of activity at the end of the sixth floor hallway. Hell denizens would pass by and the occupants in 608 found themselves getting a crash course in differentiating between ‘evil’ and ‘demonic’ laughter.

“Jonghyun-ah, do you hear that?” Minhyun asked, fox ears twitching as he paused to listen to the sounds from outside their unit. “Is that ‘evil’ again?”

“Yeah… wait, no, it’s ‘demonic’ — there’s that unholy balance in tone,” Jonghyun replied after a moment.

“Huh, okay…” the gumiho frowned. “That’s some subtle impurity in sound then.”

Additionally, the frequent opening of the portal helped expand Jonghyun’s and Minhyun’s vocabularies in eternal suffering. The portal was an anomaly of anomalies; it would switch to a random smaller hell and a different kind of agony would echo in the hallways every time.

(This flaw — obviously a nuisance since there are 128 smaller hells altogether — was still quite a fair trade in terms of free transportation for demons on a budget, as Aaron would say.)

True enough, anguished howling for forgiveness soon followed, which rose in volume significantly when their door opened and Choi Mingi hopped in.

“Sorry, sorry!” Mingi yelled over the din as he struggled to haul a medium box inside the room. Jonghyun and Minhyun jumped up to help him so they could immediately close the door.

“Thanks, guys,” the moon rabbit sighed in relief as he collapsed dramatically on the floor next to the box. “I hate how Dongho’s right about how I need to do a bit of workout. Fine, then, I will go back home and work out and, in two weeks, I’ll show him what’s a workout…” Mingi’s mutterings then culminated in a heinous cackle.

The roommates turned to each other and mouthed “‘Evil…?’” in skeptic unison. Jonghyun nodded in tentative confirmation and addressed their visitor.

“What’s up, Mingi?”

Remembering he was in the company of friends, Mingi turned to them and smiled. “My moon packages arrived and I’ve got my going-away presents for you two!”

The moon rabbit then got on his knees to open the box. When Minhyun saw what’s inside, he let out a gasp so loud that out popped a silver white tail from his disguise, matching the ears on his head.

“Ta-da! A Spam mega-collection for Minhyunnie! I know you love all kinds of meat but Jonghyunnie said your eyes sparkle differently whenever you talk about Spam. So I got you lots for Chuseok!” Mingi said excitedly.

The celestial fox looked like he was going to cry any minute but he swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’ve never seen so many Spam in one box before,” he choked, looking at Mingi. “For me?”

“Of course, they’re for you,” the rabbit assured. “Go on, take them.”

Minhyun reached out to take the top dozen-pack and cradled it to his chest. Jonghyun held a soft smile for his roommate — why the gumiho's reaction to something so commonplace as Spam was rather deeply-rooted to the kind of life that he lived.

“I’ll make this last til their expiry date,” he vowed, but checking the package, the fox amended his statement. “Okay, maybe one can for each month.”

Jonghyun chuckled softly. “Minhyun-ah, Mingi meant for you to take the whole box.”

“Yep, all ten packs of a dozen cans are yours,” Mingi concurred. “No need to make them last ten years either.”

Another gasp, a second tail, and the moon rabbit then found himself squeezed in a grateful (but mildly suffocating) embrace.

“Thank you, Mingi-yah,” Minhyun whispered.

Mingi returned the embrace. “You’re welcome,” he whispered back before they let go of each other. He then turned to Jonghyun. “Don’t worry, your present is back in our dorm room and I actually need you two again for something else. Shall we?”

The trio crossed the now serene hallway, though the smell of sulfur lingered in the air. They had to grab face masks (good thing Jonghyun’s job required him to stock up on lots) and Minhyun’s antihistamines for good measure. As his luck would have it, the fox was allergic to many things — including his own fur.

“Dongho’s not here?” Jonghyun asked upon entering. “Oh, right, he’s been called away for Chuseok, too.”

As Mingi was about to return to his ancestral home up on the moon, the dorm room he shared with Dongho was littered with things that he may or may not need to pack. The other moon packages were all over the place, too — already, Minhyun felt the itch to help tidy things up.

“I know, Minhyun-ah, I need help packing and cleaning up,” Mingi admitted sheepishly before the gumiho could broach the topic. “But first, to the kitchen!”

Room 610 was a mirror layout of Room 608. But whereas 608 barely had anything in their kitchen, 610 was stocked to the brim. The adjacent dining space even became an extension of Mingi’s culinary requirements — not unusual for dorm rooms of Lunar Gastronomy students like him. 

The kitchen space, despite being a little too full, was like a scene in home cooking shows. Mingi’s flair for the dramatic included lighting for optimum food photography with a backdrop of traditional Korean aesthetics.

Currently, the dining table for two was crowded with trays of colorful songpyeon, each tied with gift ribbons and tags. One large tray in particular was left on the counter and it was here that Mingi stood and waited for his two friends to come near.

“The Moon Rabbit clan elders send the future Lord of the Heavenly Realm their regards,” Mingi said, pushing the fancy songpyeon tray towards Jonghyun with a proud smile on his lips.

“Aren’t these the high-quality ones your folks send to the Palace of the Moon?” Minhyun asked in awe. “Quite sure I’ve seen these in the palace kitchens before,” he remarked further.

“Yup, but those only have our trademark moonshine in them,” Mingi answered. “These are the ones we send to Lord Hyunmoo himself — they’re definitely more heavenly because they’ve got both sunburst and stardust in them, too. And if you remember the design, this one is more… cosmic, rather than selenic.”

“Oh, you’re right,” Minhyun agreed. “Amazing, Mingi-yah, your clan really makes the best rice cakes in the universe.”

“Pioneers only,” Mingi scrunched his nose in mock-brag, yet pleased with the compliment nevertheless. 

Meanwhile, Jonghyun was at a loss. “I can’t accept this…” he said, trailing off when he found that his throat seemed to have dried up. “I don’t deserve—”

“Oh, of course you do—”

“Jonghyun-ah, don’t say that—”

“I can’t be receiving the same things as Lord Hyunmoo, it’s not… right.”

“Please,” Mingi refrained from rolling his eyes, opting to reach across the counter to pat Jonghyun’s shoulder supportively instead. “It was Lord Hyunmoo himself that asked our elders to send these to you instead, you know. You deserve it.”

“You deserve everything, Jonghyun-ah,” Minhyun added, arms immediately snaking around him every time he showed any signs of self-doubt. “Even the universe.”

“Minhyun-ah,” Jonghyun began exasperatedly at first but — “you think so?”

“I know so.”

The glimmer in Jonghyun’s eyes shifted from hesitation to reluctant acceptance. “I’ll thank him,” he decided and nodded at Mingi. “Please send my regards to your elders, too.”

“Oh, they’ll be thrilled. Honestly, they’d still have sent you a songpyeon tray anyway. They’ve all been watching your dramas from up there,” Mingi chuckled as Jonghyun further blushed.

“That’s my best roommate, a rising star in every sense of the word,” Minhyun said proudly before letting him go and shuffling over to the mess between the two beds. “Mingi, can I get started on your stuff?”

“Yes, please, thank you!” The rabbit scrunched his nose in thanks before turning his attention back to Jonghyun and the high-quality songpyeon. He placed a lid on the tray and wrapped it fancier than the rest.

“There, it’s perfect,” the rabbit beamed and, in an undertone, added, “for your Chuseok date, eh?”

Jonghyun widened his eyes at Mingi before throwing an anxiously furtive look towards Minhyun’s general direction.

“Am I wrong?” Mingi narrowed his eyes slyly. “Dongho told me someone has a crush.”

“No one has a crush and it’s not a date,” Jonghyun insisted under his breath. “We’re just going moon-viewing.”

“Oh, dear me, going moon-viewing together,” the rabbit gushed. “And on Chuseok of all full moons available, too. When’s the wedding?”

“Shut up,” Jonghyun muttered lamely. “Is there anything else you need from me or can I go now?”

“There, there, try not to be so sulky and hasty in one breath,” Mingi laughed, taking out a new tray of rice cakes shaped like bunnies. “Try these first — Minhyun-ah, taste test please!”

“How cute! You made these?” Minhyun asked upon returning to Jonghyun’s side. He gave the bunny-shaped songpyeon a tentative sniff, pausing at the uniqueness of the scent alone.

“Yep,” Mingi grinned, then beamed at Jonghyun. “I followed your advice in just noting down all my ideas first and then picking just a few to try out on our more basic recipes.”

“That’s good, Mingi-yah.”

“You were right, too,” the rabbit hinted at some regret. “They didn’t send me away for being experimental; they just wanted me to learn more so I could hone my craft and find my own brand of ultimate tteok recipe.”

“I was a hundred percent sure they wouldn’t want to waste your potential.” It was Jonghyun’s turn to give Mingi a proud smile.

“Wow,” Minhyun said after taking a bite. “Try it, Jju-yah,” the fox said as he chewed, holding out towards Jonghyun the other half of the songpyeon he had tasted. 

The star accepted, missing the small bashful smile that escaped Minhyun’s countenance when the tips of his fingers brushed against Jonghyun’s lips. Mingi caught it and was about to furtively laugh if it weren’t for Jonghyun’s attention already being directed towards him once more.

“What’s that taste?” Jonghyun asked curiously after he swallowed the bite. “It somehow feels like…”

“Loveliness?” Minhyun offered, wondering the same thing. “A pervading sense of… beauty… and virtue.”

“Yes, like that.”

Mingi beamed. “It’s the essence of Chang’e, you know my friend, the Moon Goddess? I asked if I could try something with… well, a lock of her hair…” and he trailed off, sensing the pause from his friends. 

“Oh, but, no worries, it’s not exactly her hair!” he rushed to reassure them, “just the essence of her that it contained — I swear this isn’t as disgusting as it’s sounding right now, I promise!”

Both Jonghyun and Minhyun’s expressions cleared, indicating that they were just pulling the moon rabbit’s leg.

“It’s really good, Mingi-yah, and a great improvement from your earlier attempts,” Jonghyun managed approvingly once he had stopped laughing. Minhyun had gone over to mollify Mingi for their little prank, folding the rabbit in his arms protectively.

His moping already forgotten, Mingi still ducked his head. He was determined he wouldn’t cry while thanking Jonghyun for his supportive advice but it was proving to be hard. It wasn’t as if no one else believed in him. Others did find his progressiveness in all things glutinous as something positive, but whenever Jonghyun said something, it was as if no one else could say it better.

Was it the Lord Protector in him that had this effect on people?

Even if he’d been already twice forewarned, Mingi would come to Jonghyun for advice and still end up getting so teary-eyed. Every. Single. Time.

And right now he thought he’s about to burst into tears with just the mere thought of expressing how grateful he was that Jonghyun was his friend.

“Thanks, Jonghyun-ah,” Mingi said in a trembling voice before burying his face into Minhyun’s chest and sobbing uncontrollably.

“Aigoo, Jonghyun-ah, you really made him cry now.”

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Thank you, J-chan for the beta!  
> 2) Ren miming the moon rabbit's mortar and pestle pounding in the Chuseok video released today nearly made me drop my phone 😂😂😂  
> 3) One chapter to go! (I think, I hope 😅)  
> 4) Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! 💕


	5. The Celestial Fox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It isn’t a date but Jonghyun and Minhyun go moon-viewing on Chuseok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at the fifth and final chapter! This birthday fic for Jonghyun 2020 took ages to conclude but I believe it's just a nice enough turtle pace eh? eh? *finger guns*

**— » — « —**

It was not a Chuseok date.

It wouldn’t have been a Chuseok anything if it weren’t for Aaron’s fondness for the occupants of Room 608, particularly towards Jonghyun. The resident Zodiac Dog never really thought about playing Cupid ever but, as he was invested in everything that had to do with the star, he knew he had to step in. Of course, he’d help make his favorite freshman’s first Chuseok a memorable one.

It didn’t require a great deal of effort, really — it was simply a matter of getting them up on the roof.

One may be an actual fox and the other a certified live-action star, respectively, but both Minhyun and Jonghyun had trouble hoisting themselves up from their veranda. Aaron had to provide assistance to his ~~lameass~~ clumsy hoobae using his personal stepladder, which ended up being another one of his housewarming gifts since, “you can just buy another one, right, hyung?”

“It was bought _on impulse_ ,” Aaron stressed for the fifth time ever since he’d gone to fetch it and Minhyun kept on asking why he even had to buy one in the first place. “Just get your nine tails up there and eat your moon cakes, won’t you?”

“I really appreciate this, hyung, thanks,” Jonghyun beamed, his grateful face peeking out from the awning after Minhyun had clambered up to safety.

“Anything for my Jonghyunnie,” Aaron beamed back, his irritation all forgotten. “You kids have a fun night.”

“I know Aaron-hyung loves me, too, I just know it,” Minhyun muttered under his breath, a tiny bit sulky at the consistent shift in their sunbae’s tone whenever he’s addressing Jonghyun.

“Of course, he does,” Jonghyun assured him, reaching out to scratch the disgruntled fox’s exposed furry ear. He nudged his head towards their two-person party setup. “Shall we?”

Moon viewing — ones that weren’t during Chuseok — was something Jonghyun always did to unwind and feel close to home. It would be the first time he’s going to do it with someone, however. Normally, Jonghyun felt it would be too personal a thing to be sharing but, given that Minhyun had never done it before with someone either, perhaps the star felt better — less nervous — about it.

It was, however, before their agreement got postponed further and further until they ended up spending their first full moon together on Chuseok, of all full moons. Jonghyun’s nerves spiked again — but why must everyone else make a big deal out of it anyway?

“Um…” Minhyun hesitated.

“Um…” Jonghyun echoed.

They stood at the foot of the rooftop picnic spread that they laid out together. A meal tray for each, and the rest were an odd assortment of Chuseok food that the roommates have received from their friends. The songpyeon from the Moon Rabbit elders was the centerpiece, both in appearance and quality. Next to it sat the bottle of the finest rice wine that Lord Hyunmoo had sent Jonghyun while Dongho gifted an equally fine cup set to go with it.

Mingi’s original songpyeon creation looked right at home next to the plate of Spam that Minhyun opened in celebration of the holiday. The rest of the spread were Aaron’s thoughtfully prepared smaller servings of his famous party food — he had thrown one before students at Nocturne started going home for the holiday break. 

Minhyun’s colleagues from the Moon Palace also sent him a last-minute package of mooncakes, though the celestial fox figured they only did so because they were Jonghyun’s fans and wanted to send the star a gift, too.

Minhyun glanced at Jonghyun and smiled. They wore traditional clothing — celestial robes, rather. Jonghyun’s was the midnight black of the night skies, patterned with pinpoints of starlight.

“You look radiant, Jonghyun,” he said quite shyly, unable to look into his roommateʼs sparkling eyes unlike the usual.

“Thank you, Minhyun,” Jonghyun replied, stepping onto the mat and inviting the fox to sit down next to him. “You look beautiful.”

He smiled, taking in the moonlight robes that Minhyun wore, silver as the nine elegant tails that the gumiho chose to let out for the occasion. Minhyun’s ears twitched at the compliment.

“I think so, too,” he returned cheekily, making Jonghyun laugh and breaking the awkwardness between them with his carefree acknowledgement.

“I guess, since we’re hungry, we shouldn’t keep the food waiting,” Jonghyun then said. “Care to do the honors, Hwang Minhyun-ssi?”

Minhyun pressed his palms together, waiting for Jonghyun to do the same before closing his eyes and bowing his head. 

“Tonight, we offer our thanks for this bountiful harvest and shall gladly partake of these blessings bestowed by the heavens. In our hearts, we have offered this spread — to whomever it may concern — but our earthly bodies shall gratefully consume… for we are fairly sure our ancestors are feasting so much better than we are right now, anyway.”

Minhyun’s prayer ended with Jonghyun collapsing into a most unceremonious laughing fit.

**— » — « —**

Perhaps it was the alcohol but Jonghyun’s thoughts kept straying over the fact that he was, undeniably, attracted to his roommate. Dongho had guessed correctly — Minhyun was totally Jonghyun’s type. It hadn’t taken too long for him to fall in love; it just took forever — and some rice wine — before he could finally admit to himself that he did.

“I brought up some poetry books, should I read us something while we eat?” Minhyun was saying.

“ _Blue Stream amid the green hills, better not boast of your speed_ ,” Jonghyun recited absentmindedly in response, having recalled the poem that Minhyun first read to him.

“ _Once you have reached the ocean there is slim chance you will return_ ,” Minhyun continued, pleased that Jonghyun remembered. “ _When Bright Moon shines over the hills, why not stay awhile and enjoy it?_ ”

Like Byeokgyesu who was said to have fallen in love with Hwang Jini when she recited this suggestive poem to him, the star may have also felt a certain weakening in the knees when Minhyun did the same the first time. Jonghyun was glad to be seated; his knees may have just lost strength again.

“I’m impressed you remembered,” the fox remarked happily as he sorted through the bundle of booklets. “I do have a different book in mind for tonight — but what’s this?”

To Jonghyun’s chagrin, he recognized that booklet immediately.

“ _My Girlfriend is a Gumiho_ ,” Minhyun read the cover title out loud. “Isn’t this your drama with Kim Minkyung?”

“Why do you have that — what’s that doing there,” Jonghyun said and reached for the booklet but the fox was quicker.

“I don’t know, maybe I picked it up by mistake.” Minhyun then flipped through the pages and started reading, clearing his throat.

“ _Hurry up_.”

Minhyun grinned upon seeing the surprise in Jonghyun’s face when he spoke. “Did I get her right?” he teased.

“Don’t do that, Minhyun-ah,” Jonghyun grumbled. He didn’t like it very much when Minhyun had joined Dongho in teasing him about Minkyung, especially whenever Minhyun transformed into his co-star just to make it all highly accurate.

“Come on, I’ll test you if you still know your lines,” Minhyun — in Minkyung’s form — coaxed him. “I remember this episode very well, I swear I know it by heart so much that I can play Minkyung’s role in my sleep.”

“Nope.”

“Please… It’s not every day you’d get to read lines about a gumiho with an actual gumiho in the role of the gumiho.”

Jonghyun had to admit — Minhyun might have had a point.

“Change back,” the star then ordered. “No reading unless you’re back to being yourself.”

Minhyun chuckled and shook off his disguise. “All good?”

“Perfect.” Jonghyun’s satisfied tone then switched into a mildly anxious one as he picked up from where Minhyun left off. “ _What is it this time? Where are we going?_ ”

The gumiho, ruffled by the unexpected compliment, struggled to find the next line that he ended up skipping a couple. “ _Jonghyun-ah, I heard they butchered a cow at that restaurant today_ ,” Minhyun read with feeling. He wasn’t kidding — it seemed Minhyun might actually be able to play the role in his sleep.

“ _I want to eat a freshly slaughtered cow today_ ,” he went on — wheedling, expectant, and _hungry_.

The accuracy of it made Jonghyun smile to himself before resuming his role. “ _Again? No way… Minhyun, I really don’t have any money. You can’t have fresh meat today_ —”

“ _I can’t?_ ” And Minhyun’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, not unlike how Minkyung did it. “ _Then_ ,” he went on, leaning towards Jonghyun like a predator would a prey, “ _I might have to eat_ you _instead._ ”

With Minhyun’s face right next to his notwithstanding, Jonghyun kept up the act and gulped nervously just like the way he did in the original. Even if the one saying the lines was an actual gumiho, Jonghyun wasn’t afraid. He was rather more nervous about making sure that he kept his hands to himself and not reach up to grab —

Minhyun, still in character, sniffed the pulse point on Jonghyun’s neck and moaned. “ _Hmm, delicious…_ ”

Before the fox could continue along the script, Jonghyun broke character and reached towards their table trays. “But would I be more delicious than this…” and he held out the plate of Spam in his most seductive manner, “magically mundane, overly-salted, processed can of meat, hm?”

“Oh, my dear young lord of the heavenly realms,” Minhyun uttered, completely spellbound as Jonghyun picked up a slice with chopsticks and offered it to him.

“Won’t Minhyunnie rather have this instead of poor little Jonghyunnie?”

“Oh, yes… Yes, he would.” The fox sighed and happily accepted the piece of food that the star fed him.

Jonghyun chuckled and ate a slice for himself, watching fondly as Minhyun’s ears and nine tails twitched and swayed in satisfaction.

“Ah, Jonghyun-ah, what a good life I have right now. Is it alright to feel like perhaps I do deserve all this?”

“Of course you do. You’ve worked really hard in your first life and this one,” Jonghyun said, having always found the rest of Minhyun’s life story admirable.

Minhyun had descended just a little after the star did, and like what Kim Jonghyun did in Gangneung, Hwang Minhyun grew up in an orphanage in Busan. Being dirt poor had never been an excuse for the gumiho to swindle money from humans — even though it would have made life easier. After finishing high school, he was on his own and worked hard as a maid to feed and send himself to college.

He would have gone to a less ~~dangerous~~ prestigious university because of financial constraints but he couldn’t attend normal fox universities either. Due to his fox fur allergy, Minhyun had to be recommended for Nocturne, which had everything he needed for his medical condition. And thanks to the university scholarship program that he tried and qualified for, he didn’t have to pay for any of it.

Thus, for the first time in both his two lives, Minhyun could rest easy and take up his twice life-long dream hobby: cleaning for leisure. And eating things like Spam was now a luxury he could afford.

Having known all these things — and Minhyun being totally his type — Jonghyun was smitten. For a whole semester, the star harboured a somewhat painful crush, thinking that Minhyun’s effusive display of affection towards him was nothing different from the way he treated his other friends.

Yet despite the intimate setting, he didn’t think tonight would be a good time to find out if he was correct — even if he did constantly wish to be proven wrong.

“Will you really be staying here on earth and work towards becoming human?” Jonghyun found himself asking later on. They had continued and were already halfway through their meal, enjoying the night sky and full moon after abandoning their plans of reading poetry — and TV drama scripts.

There was a pause before Minhyun was able to reply. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “That was the plan — more like, the plan was to come down here and figure out if being human was something that I really wanted.”

“And have you figured it out or…?”

The gumiho glanced at the star beside him. Minhyun had already lived on earth for a thousand years and ascended to the heavens as a celestial fox. He was serving in the Palace of the Moon when he found himself wanting to go back. Given leave to go on a spiritual journey on earth — Minhyun did wonder now.

“I may have figured it out,” he answered with a smile for his roommate, “and found what I was looking for.”

“What did you find?” Jonghyun asked, brightening up in curiosity as he leaned towards his companion to hear the answer.

“You.”

“Me…?”

“Yes. You.”

“Oh.”

With both their cheeks looking quite warm despite the chill autumn evening, Jonghyun then _knew_. Minhyun’s gaze told Jonghyun everything; the star also knew that the smile he gave in return told the fox the same.

There wasn’t much of a gap left to close — and Jonghyun simply went for it.

**— » — « —**

“I’ve always thought that kissing under the bright light of a full moon was the most romantic thing to do on earth,” Minhyun admitted much later, after he and Jonghyun broke apart for air and composure. “That is, until I became a celestial fox and served in the Moon Palace.”

Jonghyun looked down on the fox that rested his head on his lap. “You don’t think that anymore? How come?”

“Because I just realized that we may have had our first kiss right in front of my _workplace_ , Jonghyun-ah.”

“Huh.”

“And my employers.”

“Hm.”

“And my colleagues.”

“Right.”

They shared a brief look of mortification; Minhyun bit his lower lip apologetically.

Jonghyun cleared his throat. “So we’ve given them a show.”

“Possibly.”

“Well… You know I do that for a living, don’t you?”

“Oh… Right.”

Jonghyun picked up his cup and raised it in a small toast. “Here’s to hoping they enjoyed it, then.”

Minhyun burst out laughing.

“I suppose… after your second life here, you’ll choose eternity again and go back up there?” the star then asked.

“So long as you wouldn’t be opposed to having me around for the entirety of this lifetime and, um, forever…?”

“A lifetime and forever with you sounds great, honestly.”

Minhyun grinned up at him — and perhaps it was Jonghyun who got dazzled this time. “Jonghyun-ah.”

“Hm?”

“Want to go back downstairs and pick up from where we left off?”

“I’d love to but something tells me you want to clean up this whole thing first.”

“Oh, you’ve really got me all figured out, don’t you?”

“Maybe I do.”

**— » — « —**

Jonghyun had not been kidding about being content before his life changed quite drastically — in less than a blink of an earth year. Yet, what he had done out of a strong sense of duty brought in more blessings he’d never even imagined. Being in Nocturne University for the Exceptionally Supernatural Talent was proving to be a most rewarding adventure — and it only just begun. 

Granted, he might also find exceptionally supernatural trouble in the long run but Jonghyun didn’t feel like he had any cause for worry. The friendships he formed seemed to be trustworthy and long-lasting already — and the companionship he found brought about a loving promise not only for a lifetime, but also for all eternity.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Jonghyun ended up looking forward to all that twinkling and tedious paperwork that awaited him in the still-distant future.

He just had to graduate — maybe even with honors — first.

**— » the end « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyyyy, done! I finally have a fic that actually ended at 5 chapters as originally planned ahahaha I have broken the curse~ (and thank you for the beta, J-chan, you da best!)
> 
> Thanks for reading til the very end and I hope you enjoyed it! 💕

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the Four Symbols in Chinese astronomy, the Chinese zodiac, and East Asian mythology and folklore. 
> 
> Also inspired by BATS RPG.
> 
> Thanks for reading! 💕


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